‘Drive-slow’ protest to take place between Bridgend and Manorcunningham

A “drive-slow” vehicle protest will take place from Bridgend to Manorcunningham in solidarity with fuel protesters in Dublin. 

Attendees will begin to gather 6:30pm on the hard shoulder in Bridgend and depart at 7pm on a slow drive towards Manorcunningham roundabout and back to Bridgend this evening, Thursday, April 9. 

The protest has been arranged to show solidarity with those who have been protesting for three days to demand government action on the fuel crisis. Mark Hegarty, who is involved in organising,  has stated that this is for people who want to support the protest but cannot travel to Dublin. 

“By the looks of things, it’s going to be massive,” Mark told DonegalLive. “People can join in at any stage; the aim is to show support for those in Dublin.”

The protests were regionalised on Tuesday, but they are now mainly concentrated in the capital, with protesters blocking roads, ports and bridges.

Gardaí have been issuing warnings about the blockades. Taoiseach Micheál Martin came out delegitimising the protests, which further escalated the situation, and the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan TD, confirmed that the “assistance of the Defence Forces” has been requested.

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The movement started after the ‘People of Ireland Against Fuel Prices Protest’ posted on Facebook that they had sent a copy of a letter to the government outlining people’s demands. They stated that if the government failed to respond, they would have ‘no option’ but to move to a nationwide protest, which is now in its third day, as the government has refused to communicate with the protestors. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme